Rock Climbing

Chronology of Coverage

Jan. 15, 2015

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson accomplish what many believed impossible, and become first to free-climb 3000-foot Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park; 19-day climb is first ascent of Dawn Wall in single expedition using only hands and feet to pull climbers up. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Q&A with rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson about their ascent of Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Profile of rock climber Kevin Jorgeson, who along with partner Tommy Caldwell is attempting historic free-climb of El Capitan's Dawn Wall in Yosemite Valley, Calif; Jorgeson is eager to return to his hometown of Santa Rosa, where he first demonstrated his early aptitude for climbing. MORE

Jan. 10, 2015

Climber Kevin Jorgeson, after lagging behind his partner Tommy Caldwell, makes it past Pitch 15 on El Captan's Dawn Wall in Yosemite, where he has spent past six days, unable to find holds he needed to continue; Jorgeson and Caldwell are trying to become the first people to free climb the rock wall. MORE

Jan. 9, 2015

Op-Ed article by Freddie Wilkinson examines differences between Warren Harding's 1970 climb of sheer face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, and Tommy Caldwell's same effort in 2015; notes that while Harding was criticized in his day for using too many aids, Caldwell is attempting free climb, but observes he is also relying on fixed lines and other accoutrements; says it is ultimately up to each climber to define meaning of his adventure. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Tommy Caldwell, who along with his climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson is attempting to free climb El Capitan's Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park, has throughout his lifetime embraced risk and set lofty goals for himself; significant events in Caldwell's life include escaping militants in Kyrgyzstan and severing his left index finger; Caldwell has completed Pitch 16 of wall, trickiest section of climb thought by some to be hardest in world. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson are attempting to become the first to free climb Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, Calif; free climb means to climb without aid, propelled only by hands and feet, attached to a rope merely to catch a fall; many consider it most difficult rock climb in world. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

World Class rock climbers Alex Honnold and Beth Rodden answer questions submitted by New York Times readers as Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson attempt to free climb most difficult route up Yosemite National Park's El Capitan. MORE

Jan. 5, 2015

Rock climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson are midway through historic attempt to free climb the notorious Dawn Wall of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, Calif; sheer 3,000-foot face consists of 32 pitches, some among the most difficult in the world; steady progress and good weather forecast have given rise to optimism in the climbing community that pair will succeed. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

Op-Ed article by free solo climber Alex Honnold recounts his shock when sponsor Clif Bar fired him and four other well-known climbers, apparently because company suddenly found sport too dangerous; says risks he and his fellow climbers take are very personal decisions made out of their love for mountain climbing and not for the sake of corporate sponsorship. MORE

Aug. 19, 2014

Adaptive Climbing Group, Brooklyn organization founded by Kareemah Batts, helps amputees battle depression and other issues by learning to rock climb; group has integrated a competitive component, and is training several paraclimbers to compete in the world championships in Spain. MORE

Jul. 31, 2014

Bureau of Land Management is considering banning extreme rope-swinging from ancient stone arches in Moab, Utah, after a handful of accidents and a rash of complaints; many of 40,000 hikers and backpackers who visit Arches National Park say rappelling, swinging and other aerial feats have become nuisance. MORE

Jul. 17, 2013

A guidebook being published in August details more than 300 bouldering routes that traverse rock faces throughout Manhattan. MORE

Jul. 6, 2012

Enforcement of a Cuban government ban on rock climbing in Valle de Vinales, Cuba, which began in 2012, is jeopardizing the sport and the region’s prosperity; rent from tourists who hike and explore the cliffs of Vinales has allowed the valley to overcome the poverty typical across the country. MORE

Jun. 16, 2012

Essay on Alex Honnold, elite rock climber who tackled Yosemite's three biggest rock faces in succession, climbing solo and completing the feat in less than 24 hours. MORE

May. 13, 2012

Ashima Shiraishi, an 11-year-old climber from New York City, is a national champion boulderer who has made a name for herself by conquering some of the sport's most difficult climbs. MORE

Jan. 22, 2012

Neighborhood Joint column on Brooklyn Boulders, rock-climbing gym in the Gowanus neighborhood. MORE

Dec. 10, 2011

Tommy Caldwell, one of the world's best rock climbers, is part of trend among professional climbers and climbing community of from-the-route social media; chronicled progress of his ascent up El Capitan in Yosemite on Facebook using his iPhone; observers enjoy it, sponsors encourage it and climbers get to share what is inherently a selfish pursuit, but a vocal minority worries about the purity of the sport. MORE

Aug. 3, 2011

Bouldering, a smaller-scale offshoot of rock climbing, has built up a thriving community of devotees, who approach challenging 18-feet-high rocks with same reverence that hardcore mountaineers tackle the great peaks; sport, in which accidental falls are broken by padding on ground, is under Olympic consideration. MORE

January 14, 2015, Wednesday

The climber Kevin Jorgeson made it across a brutally difficult pitch that had stymied his efforts for six days and held up his climbing partner, Tommy Caldwell, in their effort to complete one of the hardest rock climbs in the world.